Pilot questions Vauxhall helicopter crash route

The inquest into the death of two men killed in a helicopter crash in south London has heard from a pilot who said he would not have made the same journey because of the weather.

Pilot Peter Barnes, 50, died when his helicopter clipped a crane at St George Wharf in Vauxhall, in January 2013.

Pedestrian Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, Surrey, was also killed.

Former Met Police pilot Captain Paul Watts said the visibility was poor.

The inquest jury at Southwark Coroner's Court heard that Mr Barnes, who had 24 years' flying experience, was contending with poor visibility and freezing fog on the morning of the crash.

He had been flying from Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey to Elstree in Hertfordshire but was diverted to Battersea heliport.

Capt Watts, who worked with Mr Barnes and knew him to be an experienced flyer, was asked if he would have made the same journey at the same time.

He replied: "I believe his plan was not one I would have made."

Mr Barnes had been flying along the commonly used H4 route when he asked permission from air traffic control to proceed and was told to "hold on the river for a minute".

The court heard it was unclear how long he waited for.

Capt Watts told Coroner Dr Andrew Harris: "It is unlikely that he (Mr Barnes) would have ignored clearance, and he should not have expected to get it at that stage."

Simon Hutchins, the general manager of London's only licensed heliport, said he raised concerns about the St George Wharf construction site as early as 2008 but the matter was not taken further.

A jury member asked him: "Did you consider that the layout of the area at the time made it likely for an accident to occur?"

Mr Hutchins said a request for the heliport to be "officially safeguarded" had still not been met, though the matter was due to be addressed later this month.

The inquest continues.